Two campuses within the University of Wisconsin System announced Tuesday they are offering employees a voluntary retirement buyout with a one-time payout equal to 50% of an employee's annual base salary.

The buyouts at UW-Oshkosh and UW-Green Bay offer the same payout, but the eligibility requirements are different. At UW-Green Bay, the offer is being extended to all employees 55 and older who have at least five years of service. At UW-Oshkosh, employees must be at least 60 and have 25 years of service to the state to be eligible.

Tuesday's announcements bring to four the total number of campuses seeking to reduce their workforce through voluntary buyouts in the face of state budget cuts. UW-Eau Claire was the first campus to make the offer, followed last week by UW-Superior.(311)

Clark Co. judge rules ban on concealed weapons unconstitutional

In a case being hailed by gun rights advocates, a circuit judge in Clark County has declared Wisconsin's law against concealed weapons unconstitutional.

Judge Jon M. Counsell made the finding in an order Tuesday dismissing a case against a 27-year-old Sauk City man who had been charged for having a knife in his waist band, a misdemeanor.

Counsell found that the state's absolute prohibition against anyone but peace officers from carrying a concealed weapon is not narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest, citing recent U.S. Supreme Court cases that overturned gun bans in Washington D.C. and Chicago.

As it stands, the case carries no official precedent beyond Clark County and it was unclear if it would be appealed. The state Attorney General's office said that in a misdemeanor case, the call rests with the local prosecutor, who did not return a call.

Nik Clark, chairman of Wisconsin Carry, Inc., a gun rights group, still called the ruling "a great step forward," and in line with other recent decisions, like the Jackson County District Attorney's decision not to prosecute any concealed carry violations unless they're part of another crime.

"While individually, none of these cases are the silver bullet to end the deprivation of the right to carry in Wisconsin, collectively, they demonstrate the legal landscaped has changed," Clark said.

"And I believe there is a lot of past case law in Wisconsin that came down against law-abiding people and their right to carry which is about to fall as DA's decline to prosecute and other charges are defeated on constitutional grounds."

Clark's group is involved in several federal lawsuits over the arrests of members who had openly worn holstered sidearms in stores, a church and a restaurant. The goup is also challenging the state's ban on all guns within 1,000 feet of a school.

INTERACTIVE: This interactive provides a detailed look at the current term of the U.S. Supreme Court, including summaries of major cases, profiles of the justices, and legal alignments based on past decisions.